Q. I was wondering how big can one get without using a spotter? I have my dad spot me when I do bench press and that's about it. I work to failure with every exercise but if I had a spotter, I would push myself farther until I wouldn't even be able to lift the weights. If I have a spotter will I gain more mass? It's hard to find someone to spot because I lift in my basement and I don't know anyone who lifts at least 3 times per week, so it looks like I am lifting by myself.

Let me put it this way, I went from weighing 150 lbs to weighing as much as 228 lbs without using a spotter!

To be honest, I'm a firm believer in NOT using a spotter as much as possible. It is definitely good on the bench press though, because if you push it too hard you can get stuck under a bar (been there). If you ever do low reps with near max weight on the bench press, you should ALWAYS use a spotter.

Using a spotter can turn into a crutch quickly if you're not careful. It can also exhaust your muscles if you have someone do forced reps with you all the time, which will lead to overtraining and no results.

Strive to push yourself as hard as you can without a spotter but always use one if you need one. One of the best ways to lift without a spotter is to do all your barbell exercises inside a power rack. Set the pins to the lowest point in the movement so you can bail out without getting stuck.

To learn some some good mental tricks you can use to help push yourself on this page:

http://www.fitstep.com/Advanced/Power/Mental_notes2.htm

If you want to learn more intensity techniques

http://www.fitstep.com/Advanced/Power/Intensity_tech1.htm

 

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